Video: Travelers Rest police pull man from fiery wreck

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. – Travelers Rest police pulled a man from a burning vehicle following a head-on wreck involving a wrong-way driver early Sunday morning.

As we previously reported, Police Chief Lance Crowe said one of the vehicles was traveling north in the southbound lanes of S. Main Street (Hwy. 25/276) at the time of the crash, which occurred above the Highway 25/276 split.

In a dashcam video released by the department, Cpl. Mason Johnson can be seen pulling up to the wreck around 4:10 a.m.  As he checks the conditions of the occupants, both of whom were entrapped, a small fire breaks out under the hood of one of the vehicles.

Johnson and Officer Matt Nodine, who by this time was on the scene as well, were able to put the fire out with extinguishers, but it soon reignited. Just before the arrival of firefighters, the flames began to grow, and the officers moved to get the trapped man out of the vehicle before the fire spread to the driver's compartment, placing him out of harm's way until he could be treated by first responders.

Once firefighters arrived, the fire was ultimately extinguished before it spread to the second vehicle, the driver of which was soon thereafter extricated. The extent of injuries to either driver is unknown. One person was airlifted from the scene, another was transported by ambulance.

The wreck is under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol, and no further details are available at this time.